Love Me or Hate Me
by chosenpotter
Summary: "I love to hate you." "Well, I hate to love you. How about that?" "Well, I- Wait, what?" Oh yes, they're enemies. They hate each other. They're the biggest rivalry in the school. Yes, I'm talking about Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. But something's about to change all that. And it starts with a shove and a shock.
1. 01

Rain was a force not to be dealt with. It could create beauty, but it could also destroy it in a second.

Not unlike Draco Malfoy, who was currently watching the rain pound the window outside the Hogwarts Express. Of course, he didn't create things, but oh boy, he could rip them apart.

Draco was alone for the moment, alone with his thoughts. Another year beginning soon. And, he presumed that soon, he'd have more duties than just being a student.

He was a bit startled by the loud laughter from down the hall, and his silvery eyes narrowed. Potter. Of _course_ he was making such noise, with his stupid friends and his stupid life. Draco hated him. And for Harry, it was mutual.

Draco got up and walked down the hall, leaning against the doorway of _Potter's_ comparment.

"Mind keeping it down, Potter? You're disrupting the train." he drawled.

Harry rolled his eyes, and Draco was met with three pairs of narrowed eyes.

"You're the one disrupting, Malfoy. Go back to your own compartment." he snapped.

"Yeah, we didn't invite you in here." Ron agreed, slouched in his seat next to Hermione.

"I invited myself, Weasel. But of course you're too dim to figure that out." Draco replied, smirking.

In a flash, Harry was out of his seat and had Draco pinned against the wall outside.

"Listen, you git, you don't get to come around here and insult my friends like that, understand?" Harry seethed, his eyes narrowed.

Draco still had half of a sneer on his face, but he found himself looking into Harry's eyes. They were so _green_. Like emeralds, in a way. Shiny precious emeralds, like the ones in the Slytherin hourglass in the Great Hall.

 _No, Draco, stop it! Stop_ _staring_ _at his eyes!_

Draco snapped out of it and gave Harry a shove, sending him stumbling backwards. It also sent a sort of shock through Draco's hands. Like static electricity.

"I can do whatever I please, Potter." he spat, dusting off his hands on his pants.

Then he stormed off, his mind reeling. Staring into Harry's eyes like that, what on earth was wrong with him? He was just acting idiotic.

He snatched his robes from his compartent, ducking into the loo to change. Afterward, as he was heading back to the compartment, he bumped into Potter _again_.

"Watch it." Draco snapped, ignoring the shock traveling through his left arm where he had been jostled.

Again with the static? Must be Harry's hair. That's what Draco would assume, and he was sticking with it.

" _You_ watch it, Malfoy." Harry replied, walking past and going to change.

Draco shook his head. Stupid, _stupid_ Potter.

Harry wasn't going to ruin his year.

And Draco would make sure of it.

Harry Potter was plain pissed off. Three encounters with Malfoy on the train. Three! That was a horrible number, and now he was in a shitty mood.

"Harry? What's wrong?" Ron asked as they got off the train, adjusting his robes.

"It's nothing, I'm just tired." Harry snapped, walking briskly toward the carriages.

Hermione and Ron shared a glance behind him, then quickened their pace to catch up.

"You've clearly got something on your mind." Hermione pressured.

"It's _nothing,_ okay? I'm fine."

But it really wasn't 'nothing', far from it. In fact, it was definitely _something._ Something with blonde hair and cold silver eyes.

Three times was a little too much times to be running into Malfoy. Did he do it on purpose, just to get Harry annoyed? If he saw one more sign of that ferret, he'd-

"Ditch your friends, did you, Potter?"

Right on schedule.

"Go away. They're right behind me, I didn't ditch-" Harry cut himself off, realizing Hermione and Ron were a little ways back.

"You're blind even _with_ your glasses. That's completely _pathetic._ " Malfoy drawled, his signature smirk sitting comfortably in place.

"Just stay away from me!" Harry yelled, storming away.

He just couldn't deal with Malfoy's crap tonight. He sighed as he climbed up into a carriage, being joined by Ron and Hermione a few minutes later.

"Who were you screaming at?" Ron immediately asked as the carriage began rolling forward.

"It's nothing, Ron. He's nothing." Harry mumbled, rubbing some dirt off of his glasses.

"Malfoy?" Hermione guessed.

"Of course. Who else? That's his fourth appearance tonight. Now along with being tired, I'm crabby as well."

Ron and Hermione knew they'd better not question anymore, or they might become victims of one of Harry's violent outbursts. So they stayed silent for the rest of the ride while Harry silently seethed.

Malfoy was so _annoying._ But Harry couldn't stop thinking about that shock that he had received when Malfoy gave him a shove. And again, when they bumped shoulders.

It was probably static. Maybe from his hair.

But Harry knew one thing.

Malfoy wasn't going to ruin his year.

And Harry would make sure of it.


	2. 02

Harry Potter simply didn't want to get up. And it was as simple as that. It was Monday, and on Mondays, he had Potions first thing. And of course, he was still exhausted, so there was that.

Nothing could get him out of bed.

"Harry, get up!" Hermione screeched, giving him a shove out of bed and onto the floor.

Well, there was that. Nothing could match an angry Hermione.

Harry rubbed sleep out of his eyes and jammed his glasses on as Hermione flipped Ron off of his mattress, issuing a groan and a string of curse words from him.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, what is wrong with you?!" he snapped, getting up and rubbing his back.

"You wouldn't get up." Hermione calmly replied, leaving the dormitory so they could get changed.

Ron looked over at Harry, shrugging out of his pajama top. "She's absolutely mental."

Harry gave a nod as he put his shirt and trousers on, but he wasn't really paying attention. Instead, as he was digging through his trunk for his robes, he was trying to think of how he would face Snape this early in the day.

The outcome didn't seem that great.

Draco Malfoy swished his pumpkin juice around in his goblet, and his eyes kept darting to the door. Like he was waiting for someone. But who would the great Draco Malfoy even be waiting for?

Even Draco didn't know. Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise were all here at the table. That was all he needed.

But then Potter walked in with Granger and Weasley, chatting with them about something and making grand motions with his hands in the air. Malfoy's heart immediately skipped a beat, but then he slammed his hand into his chest.

No, Malfoy, he thought to himself. It's just stupid Potter. You see him everyday.

"Draco? Are you alright?" came Pansy's voice from his left.

"I'm fine." Draco snarled. "Something went down the wrong way."

Like his heart at the moment.

Suddenly, silver locked eyes with green, and Draco felt his cheeks heat.

No, stop it!

Then Harry rudely flipped Draco off.

Draco slammed his hand on the table, nearly rising out of his seat. That rude little motherfu-

"Draco, what's wrong with you? You're acting strange."

"I'm fine, Pansy, my stomach is hurting."

Which wasn't a lie. Not completely, anyways. Draco's stomach was flipping and flopping and twisting and turning all over the place. But in ways he had never felt before.

And little did he know, all the way on the other side of the hall, that a certain Gryffindor was feeling the same exact nausea in his own stomach.

Harry nervously licked his lips as he sat down in the Potions dungeon, his hands sitting on his stomach. It had been feeling horrible all morning, like he was going to puke. But of all the places to hurl, he certainly didn't want it to be in Snape's class. He'd probably get points deducted for making a mess everywhere.

His hands twitched as Ron slid into the seat beside him. He was a little bit on edge, and he couldn't figure out why.

"You okay, mate? Your cheeks look a little green." Ron questioned.

"I'm fine, Ron. I must've ate something bad at the breakfast table earlier." Harry replied.

But truth be told, he hadn't eaten much at all. Only a piece of toast, an apple, and a goblet of juice. He had felt so sick to his stomach, afraid to eat anything in case he threw up.

But why did he feel like this? It had all started when he and Malfoy had locked eyes earlier when he first came in.

Why was he staring, Harry asked himself. He couldn't stop looking at me. I couldn't stop staring into his eyes.

And that was why Harry had given him the finger and walked away quickly. The knots in his stomach had appeared soon after that.

Speaking of Malfoy, there he was now, walking in with his cronies surrounding him. He had his usual smirk in place, but his eyes weren't glittering with mirth like always. In fact, he looked just as sick as Harry felt.

Their eyes locked once more for a split second, and the knot in Harry's stomach disappeared. For one moment, it was all okay. But then he looked away, and the knots were right back in place.

"Alright, students. Settle down." Snape said as he walked into the class, the candleabras on the wall flaring up. "Today, you will be making a Sleeping Draught. And, if it is successful, it will be tested on your partner."

Then he started pairing up everyone. Harry scooted closer to Ron, praying that Snape wouldn't split them up. But, alas, Snape wasn't imperceptible to this and swooped over.

"No, no. We're splitting up the dream team." Snape sneered, his black eyes glinting. "Weasley. Go sit with Parkinson. And you, Potter...Malfoy, come take Weasley's place."

Ron grumbled as he evacated his seat, nearly tipping over the stool in the process. Harry, on the other hand, fumed silently as Malfoy strode over.

"Don't fuck this potion up, Potter. Both of our grades are on the line." Malfoy drawled, sitting down in Ron's previous seat.

Harry rolled his eyes, opening up his textbook. This was going to be a long class.

"No, don't cut it from that side!"

"Well, it says-"

"That says the side, Potter. You're cutting from the top."

"But it's the same thi-"

"No, it's not. Do it correctly."

Draco was getting thoroughly annoyed. Couldn't Harry do anything right? It was like he was determined to mess the whole potion up, no wonder he was always failing this class.

But on the bright side, Draco's stomach had fixed itself. He felt a bit better now.

Harry made a whining sound at the back of his throat as he carefully slid the last ingredient inside the cauldron. His cheeks were flushed from the heat of the classroom, and his face was perspirated from concentrating so hard.

Draco merely observed him, then noticed he was going a bit too fast.

"Stop. Don't pour all of it."

Before he knew what he was doing, his hand shot out and grabbed Harry's wrist, slowing the pouring to a trickle.

Harry's head turned to stare at him with that deer-in-headlights look. Then his eyes slid to Draco's hand, then back to his face.

Draco's cheeks began to flush light pink, and he took the cutting board from Harry's hands and busied himself with cleaning it off. He had felt that shock again, when his hand connected with Harry's skin. But this time, it felt...sort of soft. Not the hard static that he had felt on the train.

"Stir it clockwise five times. It should turn lavender." Draco commanded Harry, handing him a ladle.

Harry obliged, reaching out to grab it. Their hands connected this time, even though it was just a feathery touch. Draco felt another shock run through his arm and quickly pulled his hand away, rubbing it tenderly as Harry stirred the potion around.

The potion turned a smooth lavender color, swirls rising up from the top.

Harry broke into a grin, and Draco couldn't help but chuckle. It must've been the first potion that he had succeeded on.

Snape was upon them in a moment, giving a curt nod to their potion.

"Looks correct. Now, one of you will need to test it." he said, looking over at Harry. "Go ahead, Potter. Take a sip."

Harry paled but obliged, pouring a ladle of it into a flask. He drank it down, blinking for a moment. A dazed look flew over his face before his head went down onto the table. A few seconds later, soft snoring was issuing from him.

"Good job, Malfoy." Snape said, taking some of the potion into a vial and corking it. "He'll awaken in about fifteen minutes."

Then he walked away, leaving Draco alone with a sleeping Harry. Draco took this moment to see how the others were doing. Ron and Pansy were having a heated argument about why their potion was burgundy instead of lavender. Hermione, who had gotten stuck with Neville, was doing almost all of the work. Then, Draco turned his eyes to Harry.

Harry looked almost peaceful, a content expression on his face. His hair was flopping all over his face, and Draco resisted the urge to brush it away. He was actually quite nice to look at when he wasn't awake and having an argument with Draco.

Draco sighed, resting his chin on his hands. What was wrong with him? He was a Slytherin. He was a Malfoy, for goodness sake! He couldn't like Potter, of all people. And he didn't like boys. He wasn't like that.

Harry Potter was his enemy. Harry was so definitely his enemy.

But why did his stomach tie itself in knots when he wasn't around?


	3. 03

Finally, the last class of the day arrived, and everyone felt a sense of relief. Draco included.

History of Magic was so boring. Nobody ever listened in that class anyways. So it was a good opportunity for Draco to relax.

But seemingly, he found his eyes roaming around the classroom, until they landed on Harry. Draco had heard that Harry had gotten detention for a week from that new teacher, and he indeed looked a little put out. He was whispering back and forth with Weasley, and Draco felt a twang of jealousy.

Why should he be jealous? Harry wasn't his friend. But yet he wished that he was the one getting whispered to. The one Harry told all his secrets to.

No! What's wrong with me? I'm going insane.

But yet, he couldn't stop thinking about Harry. It was like he couldn't not think about Harry.

And suddenly, green met silver, and Draco felt himself flushing. He noticed how Harry's expression changed quickly from confusion to interest to hatred, and back to confusion.

Then, to Draco's surprise, he felt his arm lifting up. What was he doing? And then...he waved. He waved. Right across the room, right at a certain Gryffindor.

What is going on?! Why am I waving?! I don't wave. Malfoys never wave.

But yet, clear as day, Draco Malfoy was waving to Harry Potter.

Harry looked a bit confused, and Ron just looked plain disgusted. But, seemingly, Harry raised his hand and waved back.

Stupid Gryffindork. Probably in his nature to be nice.

And indeed, Harry was very surprised by Malfoy's gesture. But this wasn't the only surprise he'd be getting that day...

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me correctly, Harry."

"But...Professor Dumbledore, sir...you can't! You can't do th-"

"Harry, calm down. I'm only doing what's necessary."

Harry Potter was in shock. He couldn't believe this. Dumbledore couldn't do this to him.

"You can't actually believe that we'd be able to live together, could you?" he protested.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but you two are a bad example of the house unity that we have here at Hogwarts. You two need to get along." the Headmaster replied with a sigh.

"But that isn't fair!" came the protest from Draco Malfoy. "I'm not living with that stupid Gryffindork!"

"It's already been decided, and your things are being moved as we speak. You'll find your room on the third floor, and the portrait there is of a dark-haired woman. You'll need to choose a password."

Harry groaned, raking a hand through his dark hair in frustration. He couldn't stand Malfoy, and now he had to live with him. Life must be having a great laugh at him.

He sighed and walked out of the Headmaster's office, his trainers tapping on the stone as he descended the steps.

"What are the odds?" he muttered.

"Indeed." Malfoy said from behind him. "I bet you screwed something up, didn't you? You're so good at that, Potter."

Harry whipped around to glare at the blonde, wishing he could slap that stupid smirk off of his face.

"Shut up! I'm not going to enjoy this anymore than you do, so quit putting the blame on me!" he snapped, walking faster.

Malfoy ignored this, catching up easily.

"I've got to lay down some rules, Potter. One, your friends are limited to one visit per week, and it must be while I'm not there."

"Only if you do the same."

"Two, no changing the password on me."

"I won't if you won't."

"Three, no nighttime wanderings. I need my sleep."

"Only if- Wait, what? I don't-"

"But you do. I've heard stories, Potter, of you wandering about the castle at night. None of that." Malfoy said, leading the way up the stairs to the third floor.

"But sometimes I can't sleep! What do you expect me to do instead?" Harry protested, shaking his head.

"I don't know, sleep? That's what you do at night."

Harry grunted in reply as they reached the painting. The woman occupying it had long jet black hair, silvery eyes, and pale skin. She was beautiful, in a mysterious way. She nodded down at them.

"Choose a password." she said in a silky voice.

"We should make it something we'll both remember." Harry said.

"Yes, Potter, because you've got short-term memory." Malfoy snidely replied.

"I do not! It was just a suggestion!"

"Whatever. What about Draconian?"

"No way! That sounds stupid, we should make it something like...Alohomora, since that's the charm for unlocking."

"Anyone could guess that, idiot."

"Oh, um...well, anyone could guess Draconian."

"Fine." Malfoy said with a sigh. "It's going to be Pectus Draconis. Does that suit you?"

"Well..." Harry replied, thinking for a moment. "Yes. We'll make it that."

"Pectus Draconis it is." the painting said, opening.

Harry eagerly climbed inside, curious to see his new surroundings. Malfoy followed, his eyes darting around as he took the room in.

The room consisted of two separate rooms. The first was like a common room, with a blazing fireplace, a few armchairs, a couch, and a couple of desks.

The second was the bedroom. There were two beds, one with a burgundy bedspread, and the other with emerald green. There were two wardrobes as well, with a bathroom attatched.

"We have to share a bedroom? Merlin help us all." Malfoy said, walking over to the green bed and his trunk, starting to unpack.

"It isn't that bad." Harry replied, rolling his eyes and starting to unpack as well. "You have to admit, the room is nice."

"I suppose so." came the reply.

Harry finished up his unpacking pretty quickly, then walked back into the common room, heading for the door.

Malfoy followed, his eyes narrowed. "And where do you think you're going?"

Harry stopped, turning around. "I'm going to go see my friends."

"No, you're not. You stormed out of the office before you could hear what else Dumbledore had to say. No visiting common rooms after nine. And look at that, it's five after nine. What a shame."

Harry resisted the urge to stomp his foot like a five year old, instead settling for a death glare in Malfoy's direction.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed, then."

With that, he marched back into the bedroom, grabbing his pajamas and going into the bathroom to change.

Stupid Malfoy, he thought as he shoved his pajama top on. Can't believe I have to live with this git.

He quickly brushed his teeth, coming out a few minutes later to find Malfoy dressed in a pair of black silk pajamas.

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course they'd be black. And silk, what was it with Malfoys and silk?

"I thought you'd never come out." Malfoy drawled, taking Harry's place in the bathroom.

Harry shook his head and climbed into bed, yawning as he shut off the lights and flopped over onto his side.

But a few minutes later, the light turned back on.

Harry sat up, glaring over at Malfoy, who was sitting with a book in his hands.

"D'you mind turning that off? I'm exhausted, and I want to sleep." he said annoyedly.

"Well, I want to read, so deal with it." Malfoy replied, not looking up as he flipped a page.

Harry groaned and flopped back onto the bed.

This was going to be a long year.


	4. 04

Draco slowly pulled himself out of sleep, blearily blinking in the morning light. He didn't want to get up at all.

He stretched a bit, turning onto his side with his arm flopping over the side of the bed. It didn't look like Harry was awake yet. The only clue that there was another occupant in the room was the lump in the other bed, which slowly rose and fell.

Good. Gave Draco plenty of time to shower.

He finally climbed out of bed, wincing as his muscles popped and standing up. He grabbed his robes, in case Harry woke up before he came back out, and heading into the bathroom to take a hot shower.

Draco hissed in delight as the warm water ran over his skin. He could stay in here all day. But sadly, he had Defense Against the Dark Arts to get to after breakfast.

He stepped out of the bathroom after about fifteen minutes, frowning a bit as he saw that Harry was still asleep. Time to take matters into his own hands.

Draco stepped over to the side of the burgundy bed, giving the lump a few prods.

"Potter! Get up!" he hissed.

But the lump merely wriggled a bit before going still again.

Draco rolled his eyes and grabbed a corner of the blanket, ripping it off and tossing it onto the floor.

Harry gave a sort of mewling cry, slowly blinking his eyes open.

"Whasgoinon?" he sleepily mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

"You've got five minutes until breakfast, that's what's going on." Draco sneered.

That got Harry's attention. He sat up quickly, now fully alert and awake. "Did you say five minutes?!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "I don't think I stuttered, Potter."

Harry was out of bed and into the bathroom in five seconds flat, washing up and tugging on his clothes. He darted out about a minute later, but he still looked like a wreck. His tie was hanging loosely around his neck, his shirt collar was turned up, and he was trying to tug a comb through his bed-head hair.

Draco sighed and walked over, snatching the comb from him. He then carefully tied Harry's tie, fixed the collar, and did a quick charm on his hair so it wasn't as messy.

"Um...thanks, I guess." Harry awkwardly said, giving a half-smile before grabbing his shoes and shoving them on.

"Don't mention it."

Harry Potter was utterly and hopelessly distracted by Draco Malfoy. It was a serious problem.

He couldn't stop staring across the Great Hall at the blonde Slytherin, watching his every move. The way he snapped at Pansy if she got too close. The way he slapped butter down on his toast. The way he hid real laughter behind his hand, passing it off as a cough.

And the way he'd catch Harry staring, a smirk flitting across his face and wiggling his fingers in a sort of wave. And Harry would find himself blushing and duck his head down, like a schoolgirl with a crush.

"Hello? Earth to Harry? I was asking you about the Quidditch match next week." Ron said, snapping Harry out of his thoughts.

"Oh, erm...we'll totally win against Slytherin. Guaranteed." Harry said, giving a nod.

Ron nodded and went back to chattering away about different strategies.

Harry let out a sigh of relief, going back to Malfoy-watching. But Hermione, it seemed, wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily.

"You seem distracted, Harry. Is something wrong?" she asked, as Ron had turned away to chat with Dean and Seamus instead.

"What? No, I'm fine." Harry replied, really wishing that she'd leave him be. "Honestly. Just dreading detention on Friday."

Hermione sighed. "You're a horrible liar, Harry, always have been. You keep looking over at Malfoy. Did he do something to you? Did he hurt you?"

Harry shook his head, propping his chin up on his hands. "No. Actually, we're sort of getting along. At least, I think so."

"Are you sure? Did he Imperius you and make you say that?"

"Hermione, leave me alone! Nothing's wrong, okay? God."

"Harry, I'm only trying to help you. Don't snap at me." Hermione said, collecting her books and giving him a look. "I'm only trying to save you from getting tangled up in things that you'll regret."

Then she got off the bench and walked out of the Great Hall.

What in the hell was that supposed to mean? Tangled up in things? It was only Malfoy.

Harry sighed and pushed his empty plate to the side, slinging his bag over his shoulder and left the Hall.

He heard a light tapping of footsteps in the corridor behind him, turning around only to see Malfoy.

"What?" he said coldly. "What d'you want from me? Come to tease me?"

Malfoy actually looked like he paused for a moment.

"I just wanted to see what had you up and out in such a hurry." He said slowly. "It's quite unlike you."

Harry just about snapped. He didn't really want to deal with this.

"You!" he screeched. "You and your stupid face! What the fuck are you trying to do to me?"

"I'm not-"

"No! Just leave me alone! I'll see you back in the room."

Harry huffed as he stormed off, heat blooming in his cheeks.

What on earth was happening to him?

Friday finally came, and great relief with it.

And that evening found Draco in the room he shared with Harry, studying over his Potions notes. Snape had announced they would be having a test on Monday, and to 'not bother coming to class if they hadn't studied'.

Harry should've been back by now. He was always back after six, collapsing on top of his bed with a groan and laying still for a moment or so before going off to work on his homework.

Draco found himself a bit embarassed that he seemed to know Harry's habits. It had only been four days, but maybe Harry was just that predictable.

Or maybe something else was going on.

At that very moment, the door swung open and, like he had been summoned, in came Harry. He looked exhausted, and seemed to be favoring his right hand. He had it wrapped up in...was that a doily?

"You're back." Draco said, rising from his bed. "What happened to you?"

Harry murmured something that sounded like 'detention' and went off into the bathroom to cleanse off his hands. There was a hissing and a groan from inside, and the wet splat of something being tossed to the side.

Draco, letting his curiousity get the best of him, peeked inside and was a bit horrified at what he saw.

Harry's right hand, the one he had been nursing, was slowly leaking blood into the sink. And carved onto the back of it was words.

"Potter, what happened?" Draco asked, trying to grab at Harry's hand so he could get a closer look.

Harry squeaked in surprise and tugged his hand away, staring at the other boy with a look of pure confusion on his face.

"It's nothing!" he protested. "Please...just let me deal with this."

Draco made a few more grabs until he was able to clasp Harry's wrist, examining it.

"I must not tell lies?" he asked, staring at Harry. "Where in the hell have you been?"

He was also suspicious. Nothing could've created those marks, nothing except a Blood Quill.

"I told you, I was in detention. With Umbridge. I'm sure you heard about it the day I earned it."

"That bitch!" Draco cursed, dragging Harry out of the bathroom. "She made you write using a Blood Quill, didn't she? Those are illegal, Potter, you have to tell someone."

"No!" Harry said, trying to tug his arm away but failed. "I'm not- I won't. What're you doing?"

"Helping you, obviously. Sit on my bed."

Harry cautiously did as Draco asked, as Draco rifled under his bed before pulling out a flask filled with a light green substance. He went to grab a bowl, pouring it in and submerging Harry's hand in it.

"Murtlap Essence." he said, smirking as Harry gave a groan of relief. "You're lucky that you have me as a roommate."

"Thanks." Harry said, giving a shy smile.

Draco felt something odd in his chest, seeing Harry smile like that. He shook it off and gave a curt nod.

"Yeah. You're welcome."

After Harry had soaked his hand for a good while, Draco wrapped it up in gauze. He felt a zing when his and Harry's hands touched, and he could tell Harry felt it too by the way he tensed up.

But Draco tried to ignore it.

No. He wasn't becoming friends with Potter. Definitely not.

Draco lay in bed later that night, mostly asleep but slightly awake. He heard a bit of shuffling from across the room, assuming that Harry was just probably going to the loo or perhaps getting a drink of water.

But he was quite surprised to feel the mattress dip next to him.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" a hoarse voice asked. "I won't hex you or anything, I promise."

Draco could feel the wetness of Harry's cheek on his collarbone. Harry had been crying. But why?

"Sure. Whatever." Draco grumbled, trying his best not to care.

It seemed to be working quite well. Yes, he didn't care about Potter, he didn't want him to feel better. No, none of that.

But then Harry, that sappy git, had the nerve to put an arm around Draco. He then laid his head on Draco's shoulder, sniffling a bit.

Draco stiffened, but then felt himself relaxing.

No! It's Potter, why do I even care? Fuck!

Harry was now making a contented humming sound, right in Draco's ear.

"Mm. G'night, Draco." he said softly.

Draco. The way that word rolled off Harry's tongue. It set the warmth in Draco's chest off again, and he sighed.

"Goodnight...Harry." Draco attempted.

He must've done it right, because Harry cuddled up closer to him and slowly drifted off.

Draco found himself falling asleep as well.

The last coherent thought in his head was, _this feels quite nice._

And that's how Draco woke up with a Potter in his bed.


	5. 05

Draco wasn't exactly sure where he was at the moment, because there was _definitely_ someone else in his bed.

The person next to him gave a soft sigh, then shifted and went right back to snoring.

Draco forced his eyes open, first staring at the ceiling, then letting his gaze shift to the person beside him.

Soft-looking black hair, smallish stature, and cuddled right up to Draco's chest. Draco could feel the thick black hairs tickling his nose.

Then, last night suddenly came back to him.

Potter. The person lying next to him was _Potter._

He couldn't believe he had been as daft as to let Harry into his bed. He must've been absolutely delirious last night.

"Potter." Draco hissed, trying to shake Harry off of him.

Harry only grumbled and clung to Draco harder.

"Potter!" Draco snapped, poking him in the cheek. "Get up!"

Harry seemed to respond to this, wriggling a bit before slowly opening his bright green eyes. He looked around until his eyes landed on Draco, then emitted a shriek.

"Malfoy!" he sputtered. "What're you doing in my bed?!"

"I think you'll see that this is my bed, Potter." Draco sneered, and Harry's expression grew horrified as he realized the blonde was right.

"Oh...I didn't mean to, I swear. I just-"

"You were crying, Potter. Why?"

Harry paused in his fretting at this, then glared at Draco. "That's none of your business."

Draco crossed his arms. "I believe it is, if you ended up in my bed."

Harry sighed and got up, walking over to the bathroom. He stopped at the door, then looked back at Draco.

"I'm going to be out with my friends today. Just so you know." he said, then disappeared into the bathroom.

Draco merely raised an eyebrow, then sighed and got up to get dressed for the day.

Harry trudged down to Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione, but his mind wasn't really with them. He couldn't stop thinking about that morning.

 _Why_ did he have to have one of his Cedric dreams? Everything would've been fine if he hadn't, but his subconscious must have wanted to fuck with him today.

"Harry?"

The look on Draco's face! But now that Harry thought about it, he thought that he could see some concern etched in there.

"Harry?"

But Draco's warmth had been so nice to wake up next to. Like he was floating on a cloud...

"Harry!"

"What?" Harry asked, a bit startled as he looked up.

"Finally." Hermione said impatiently. "I thought I'd have to use an Aguamenti on you. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing." Harry's cheeks coloured. "Just a dream I had last night..."

Well, it wasn't a complete lie.

"Really?" Hermione asked, suddenly intrigued. "What was it about? You-Know-Who?"

"Erm...ah..."

Harry looked around for a distraction.

"Look! Honeydukes!" Harry shouted, pointing out the shop as they passed it. "Let's go in, yeah?"

"I've been saving up just for this!" Ron said excitedly, dragging Hermione towards the storefront.

Harry grinned, then faltered as Hermione gave him a 'we'll talk about this later' look. He sighed, then followed his two friends into the sweetshop.

He couldn't avoid the subject forever, and he knew that.

Draco was curled up in one of the armchairs in the main room, socked feet pulled up to his chest and sipping out a mug of hot chocolate. He looked up as the door opened and shut.

"You're back." he said, but was ignored as Harry trudged past him into the bedroom.

Draco frowned and rose out of his seat, walking into the bedroom and leaning against the doorway.

"Hello? Earth to Potter? I greeted you, it's quite rude to ignore me."

"Sod off, Malfoy." Harry snapped, taking off his scarf and coat and tossing them on the chair in the corner.

"What's got your trousers in a twist?" Draco asked, taking another sip of hot chocolate. "Did the Weasel and Mudblood ditch you or something?"

Harry whipped his head around to glare at him. "I'm not in the mood, Malfoy! And don't call them that!"

"Or, perhaps," Draco said, continuing like Harry hadn't spoken, "Mudblood was being a bit too nosy."

Harry looked like he was about to retort, but then he sighed and seemed to deflate, sinking down onto his bed.

"I just...she cares too much about me sometimes, I think." Harry said, looking down at his hands. "She's a bit overbearing, y'know?"

 _No, I don't know,_ Draco wanted to say. But he settled for a shrug instead.

"She's your friend, Potter. She wants to look out for you." he said, clutching his mug tightly. "Ah...did you want some hot chocolate? I've got some extra-"

"Yes." Harry said eagerly, then realized what he had said and looked back down. "I mean...sure, I suppose. If it's not too much trouble. I'll just get changed, then..."

"Right. Okay." Draco said awkwardly, heading back to the living room.

He picked the thermos up from where it rested on the table, then poured the remainder of the hot drink into a second mug.

Harry appeared a second later, dressed in a long sleeve shirt and black sweatpants. He took the mug from Draco wordlessly and sat down, lips pressed tightly together.

"No thank you?" Draco teased, sitting down in the chair he had vacated a few minutes ago.

"What?" Harry asked, looking up at him. "Oh, right. Thanks then, Malfoy."

Draco gave a curt nod and sat back in silence, finishing the last dregs of his drink.

This was...nice.

But Draco couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on between him and Harry. Were they actually becoming...friends?

The thought of that scared Draco. A lot.

He didn't hate Harry. Not exactly.

Sure, he despised him. Sure, he disliked him a whole lot.

But hate wasn't in the picture, at least not now.

He'd probably never be best friends with Harry. Harry had crushed that possibility in first year.

But, as Draco gazed over at Harry, taking in his half-lidded eyes as he stared at the fireplace, the way he jiggled his leg as he drank, the way he always seemed to be in motion, Draco thought perhaps they could be...acquaintances or something of that sort.

And to Draco, that didn't seem all that bad.


	6. 06

Fall began to slowly fade into winter. Draco was surprised to already see little white flakes on the windowsill, tracing his hand along the condensation that had formed. He was alone in the shared room for now, as Harry had quickly run off with the excuse of 'Hogsmeade'.

Not that Draco didn't mind being alone. He loved being alone. It was nice to have silence, and not have to deal with your roommate's annoying snoring. Sometimes Draco had the urge to suffocate Harry with his own pillow. That would serve him right.

Draco frowned as he spotted a motley group crossing the bridge, heading back to the castle from Hogsmeade. It was lead by a familiar black-haired figure, and of course included Weasel and Mudblood. Harry seemed to be jabbering on about something important, and the others were nodding in agreement.

Was he starting a cult or something?

Draco drew away from the window, shivering a bit. It was awful drafty up here. He sighed and went over to his dresser to grab out a warm sweater to wear.

The door smacked open at that very moment and Harry came trooping inside, covered in snow. His cheeks were pleasantly flushed from the brisk air, and he wore a stupid-looking grin.

"I'm back!" he said cheerfully.

"And I don't care." Draco muttered to himself.

Harry frowned, coming into the bedroom to take off his outer wear. "What's got you in such a mood? You were perfectly happy when I left."

Draco rolled his eyes and ignored Harry entirely. Harry wasn't fazed, coming over to stand beside him and look out the window.

"It's nice outside." Harry commented. "You should go out. Enjoy it while it lasts, before all of the rain comes back in the spring."

"No thank you." Draco said delicately, slipping his sweater over his head. "I'm already cold enough, and I don't want to get even more cold."

"Buzzkill." Harry accused, draping his jacket across a chair. "I mean, you could have come with me-"

"Let me stop you right there, Potter." Draco said, turning around to face the other boy. "Number one, your friends hate me. Number two, the weather is bloody freezing! And number three, why would _I_ want to hang out with the likes of _you?_ I was curled up in here with a nice thick novel, and that was good enough for me."

Harry's expression actually looked hurt, which surprised Draco.

"I thought we were actually becoming some sort of friends. I guess I thought wrong." he said quietly, then turned his back to Draco and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

"Potter!" Draco called after him. "Potter. Harry."

It wasn't any use. The shower was already running, and Draco had a feeling Harry would be in there for a long while.

Harry picked at his dinner in the Great Hall, his expression sullen.

Hermione could tell exactly what Harry was thinking. He was a very readable person. She could tell from his body language, and his expression, that he had gotten into a fight with Draco. Usually, Harry would be angry and brimming with ideas for payback after he had had another fight with Draco. But now he just seemed...sad.

"Harry?" she asked softly, hoping she could coax her best friend into opening up. "Harry, please look at me. I know something's the matter with you."

"Nothing's the matter, Hermione." Harry snapped, not even looking up from his plate. "Leave me alone, will you?"

Hermione frowned at him, setting down her book. "No need to get all pissy at me. But I know you, Harry, and you're only sulky if someone said something you didn't like."

There was silence, and Hermione sighed, picking up her book and opening it to read again.

"He's so stupid!" Harry suddenly burst out. "I mean, I actually thought we were getting somewhere. That just maybe we were becoming friends. But then he blew me off entirely! I hate him."

"Don't worry about him, Harry." Hermione tried to soothe. "I mean, you've got our little organization to worry about now."

\- FLASHBACK -

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were sat in a grimy old pub, facing a group of students who looked at Harry with eager eyes. Harry didn't even know what they were doing there, as Hermione hadn't quite told him yet.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Harry said quietly to her.

"These are some people I mentioned my Defense About the Dark Arts idea to." Hermione explained, then smacked her hand a few times on a table so there was silence. "Hi, everyone. I've called you all here today because, well...we need to fight back against Umbridge! We aren't actually learning anything, are we? And it's ridiculous. And...we need to be trained to fight back against V-Voldemort."

It had the desired effect, as Cho Chang's friend slopped Butterbeer all down her front, and Neville looked like he was going to topple out of his chair.

"Well, that's the gist of it. So, if you'd like to join-"

"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" asked a blonde Hufflepuff boy.

"Well, Dumbledore believes it-" Hermione tried to say.

"You mean, Dumbledore believes him." the Hufflepuff jerked his head in Harry's direction.

"Who are you?" Ron demanded, rather rudely.

"Zacharias," the boy said, "and we have a right to know exactly what makes him say that You-Know-Who is back."

It suddenly dawned on Harry why everyone was there. They had all come to hear about him facing off against Voldemort.

"What makes me say Voldemort's come back?" Harry repeated, looking at Zacharias. "I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn't believe him, you won't believe me, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."

Zacharias scoffed. " All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know-"

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone, I can't help you." Harry said nastily, feeling his temper begin to rise. "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out. Let's go, Hermione. They all think I'm some sort of freak."

"Harry, is it true that you can produce a Patronus?" Luna Lovegood suddenly asked from the back. "A real corporeal Patronus?"

"Um...yes." Harry answered.

"One of the portraits said that you had fought off a Basklisk in your second year!" Susan Bones said excitedly from the back. "Is that true?"

"Yeah."

There was a mumur of excitement.

"And don't forget that he saved the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort in his first year." Fred Weasley added.

"And not to mention," Cho said suddenly, and Harry's stomach began to do somersaults, "all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year, getting past dragons and merpeople and Acromantula and things..."

There was a murmur of impressed agreement around the room. Harry's insides were squirming. He was trying to arrange his face so that he did not look too pleased with himself. The fact that Cho had just praised him made it much, much harder for him to say the thing he had sworn to himself he would tell them.

"Look, I had help with all that stuff-" he said, trying to be modest.

"What, are you trying to weasel out of showing us all this stuff?" Zacharias said loudly.

"Here's a bright idea." Ron snapped. "How about you shut your mouth?"

The room went silent, and Harry silently thanked Ron.

"Okay. Alright." Hermione said, taking out a piece of parchment. "Everyone who wants to sign up and be taught by Harry, please sign on this."

Everyone formed a line, and Harry discreetly went off to a corner to finish off his Butterbeer. He was excited and nervous for this whole thing.

But hopefully, it would all work out.

\- FLASHBACK END -

"I suppose you're right, Hermione." Harry agreed.

But he could help but to stare across the room at Draco, who seemed to be paying him no mind. He knew that Draco was an arrogant prick. But somehow, he still wanted to be his friend.

And Harry was totally and absolutely conflicted in that very moment.

 **A/N: guess who finally updated! anyways, i have a whole new plan for this book. there's going to only be a few more chapters for this part, but then there's going to be a second part that contains something a bit more exciting. there will be fluff, angst, drunken parties, and perhaps even...sex! anyways, farewell for now!**


	7. 07

Draco Malfoy was in a sour mood. Not that it was much of a surprise, but he had gotten some bad news. He would not be, as usual, staying at the Manor for Christmas, as his parents had matters to attend to.

And worse of all, his father had told him that he was receiving the Mark in half a year.

Draco was scared out of his mind. He didn't want the Mark! He didn't want to get involved in all of this...Dark Arts nonsense. But he knew his father would be angry if he told him the truth.

Draco stuffed his hands in his pockets, breath slightly puffing out of his mouth as he wandered the corridor. He had nobody to confide to, nobody that would understand his feelings.

Except, perhaps, Harry Potter.

That wasn't an option, not at this point. Harry had been giving him the silent treatment since Draco had been rude to him a few weeks ago. Draco absolutely hated himself.

Another Christmas alone, he thought to himself.

Then Draco paused. He could hear something from the hallway up ahead. He crept to the corner where the two hallways met, peering around the corner.

There was a dark-haired figure, which Draco recognized as Harry. But there was another dark-haired figure with him, who Draco didn't recognize. And they looked like they were...kissing. Harry Potter was kissing a girl.

Draco's heart began to sink, and he suddenly understood why. How hadn't he seen it before? He should have known, from the way he felt all the time when he was around the raven-haired boy. He was smart. He should have figured it out sooner.

Draco Malfoy was completely head over heels for Harry Potter. And Harry Potter was not, as Draco could see, gay.

Harry seemed to finally break away from the girl, who Draco finally saw was Cho Chang. He had heard that Harry had a crush on Cho for the longest time. It looked like he was getting his way, finally. Cho was sniffling, but she was managing to smile through her tears, which Harry returned.

Draco had seen enough.

Harry felt like he could sing! Cho Chang, his longtime crush, had finally kissed him. And under mistletoe too, so it was all the more romantic. Harry couldn't wait to tell his friends.

He pushed open the door to the dormitory that he and Draco shared, quietly going inside.

He and Draco hadn't been on speaking terms for a few weeks now. But since it was nearly Christmas, Harry felt that it was time to make amends.

What he didn't expect to see was Draco packing his trunk.

"Malfoy?" he asked, eyes widening from behind his glasses. "W-What're you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Draco sneered. "I'm leaving. I've requested to move back into the Slytherin dormitory."

"Why would you do that?" Harry demanded, walking over to him. "I mean, really, think about what you're doing-"

"I have thought about it, Potter. And I've decided it's for the best." Draco replied.

"I thought we were becoming friends."

"Well...it wasn't meant to be."

"But-"

"I saw you and her! I saw you kissing her."

Harry stopped in mid sentence, his mouth slightly open in shock.

"Were you...were you spying on me?" Harry asked. "And why do you even care about Cho?"

"Because, you idiotic git, I love you!" Draco shouted.

Harry froze, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. He couldn't believe the words that had just come out of Draco's mouth. But yet, as a flush began to take over Draco's face, he knew Draco wasn't playing tricks on him.

"I didn't know you were gay." Harry said stupidly.

"It's called bisexual, Potter." Draco said dryly. "You should try it sometime. But now you see why I can't be around you anymore. I can't trust myself. And now that I know you're taken with someone, I'd feel guilty if I were ever to express my feelings in a physical way."

He shut the lid of his black embossed trunk, his face determined.

"Well, I didn't say I hated you for it." Harry said. "I also didn't say I didn't return the feelings."

"Wait. So, you love me as well?" Draco had an almost hopeful look on his face.

"Well, erm...no. But I want to be friends. Even though I don't...feel the same."

Draco's face fell again, and Harry felt almost guilty. It wasn't his fault that he only liked girls in that way. But something in his heart was telling him that he was making a terrible mistake here.

"Fine. Then, I bid you goodbye." Draco said tonelessly, dragging his trunk towards the door.

Harry could only watch him go. And Draco's heart could only break in two.

 **\- END OF PART ONE -**


	8. 08

Lightning crackled high above the turrets of Hogwarts, and rain pounded against the windows. Draco Malfoy, luckily, was safe and dry inside the four walls of the castle, hands stuffed in his pockets and head down. Once upon a time, he would have walked down the corridors with his head high, Crabbe and Goyle trailing behind him, and everyone would shy away.

But now they shied away for entirely different reasons. Their eyes averted from the ex-Death Eater, and their murmurs started up.

They all wondered what he was doing there. But to be honest, Draco was too.

His trial had gone well, and he and his mother had been let go with only a probation. Surprisingly, Harry Potter himself had testified. He hadn't said a word to Draco afterward, only giving a slight nod when Draco gave him his thanks. Not that Draco expected them to suddenly become friends after everything. But their meeting at the courtroom had left Draco feeling...empty. A feeling which he hated. He had enough emptiness in his life, thank you very much, and he didn't need Harry bloody Potter giving him any more to deal with.

Draco finally reached the eighth year common room, pausing in front of the door. Was he ready to go in? Was he ready to do this? It didn't seem like he had much of a choice.

He sighed, giving the password. "Balderdash."

The portrait, one of Hogwarts, opened up and he stepped inside.

The eighth years, as they had dubbed themselves, were the students who had come back to redo their seventh year, including Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter. They were students from all houses, but Draco was the only Slytherin left. Everyone else from his year were either in Azkaban or off in a different country.

Draco quickly walked through the common room, which was pretty empty. He guessed that everyone had gone up to their rooms already. The only reason why Draco was late was because McGonagall had wanted to talk to him, just in case he needed to talk. She had taken him early from the feast, then made him wait for her to finish announcements.

Each of the eighth years was roomed with another eighth year of the same gender. Draco had no idea who he had been assigned to, McGonagall had only told him he was in the first room on the left. He quietly opened the door, in case his roommate was asleep already.

It looked like his roommate had already unpacked, though very messily. The bedspread on his roommate's bed was red, and Draco had a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach. Of course he had to get stuck with a bloody Gryffindor as a roommate, what else would he have expected with his luck. But he would be fine as long as it was anyone, _anyone_ except for-

"Hey, Malfoy."

Draco froze, slowly turning towards the one person he had been dreading to see. Harry didn't look menacing at all, with a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth and wearing an overlarge shirt over boxers. Harry looked exhausted, his hair sticking up all over the place. Draco noticed that the famous scar had grown since he had last saw it, now overtaking the top half of Harry's face entirely. Harry looked like a man come back from war, which was exactly what he had done. But he also looked like a exhausted boy, which he was as well.

"Potter." Draco said, giving a curt nod of his head. "I didn't know that we'd be roommates. Again."

Draco was horribly reminded of the last time that he and Harry had been roommates, and it had ended with he himself storming out of the dormitory. Just because he had fallen in love with Harry Potter. Unfortunately, Draco's feelings hadn't diminished. If anything, they had only grown stronger, especially since Harry had saved him from the licking flames of the Fiendfyre.

"I actually requested that we be roommates." Harry replied, catching Draco off guard entirely.

"Wait, what? Why would you even do something like that?" Draco folded his arms. "I know you'd rather be with Weasel."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. But we're roommates now, so that's that."

Then he went back into the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth, leaving Draco stumped. Draco had no idea why Harry would want to room with him, of all people. They hadn't been on the best of terms. But, Draco supposed, since Harry had saved him and Draco's mother had saved Harry, they were even.

Draco took out his wand and unpacked everything neatly with one swish. He gazed down at the smooth wand in his hand. This had been the wand that had saved the Wizarding World from Voldemort. It seemed so plain now, just sitting here in Draco's pale palm. It was hard to believe that Harry had held it, and cast the final spell to defeat the Dark Lord. Draco had expected Harry to show up at the door of the Manor to return his wand. Instead, he got a box that contained it, and no note.

Draco had divided his time during the summer, working on rebuilding Hogwarts the first half, and redoing the Manor the second half. Draco had spotted Harry a couple times during the rebuild, as well as the Weasel and Mudblood, but he had always ducked down a different hallway before they could see him. He hadn't wanted to confront them just yet.

But yet, here he was, back at Hogwarts. It seemed so strange to be back here after all that had happened so far. But yet, it felt somewhat right. He knew he would've missed Hogwarts if he hadn't come back.

Harry came back out of the bathroom at that moment, sitting on top of his bed and crawling underneath the covers. Draco went into the bathroom after, changing into pajamas and washing up for bed. After he crawled into his own bed, he extinguished the lights in the room, curling up on his side.

Draco was very surprised when he heard, "Goodnight, Malfoy." from the other side of the room.

"Night, Potter." he replied, pulling the blankets over his head.

He was in for a long year.

 **a/n: hello, and welcome to part two! now, i wanted to explain the scar thing that harry has. it's based off of a headcanon i keep seeing on tumblr, and i decided to adopt it because it's really cool! anyways, it's basically that each year, harry's scar grows and expands as he does. so by eighth year, it would kind of take over half of harry's face. it makes him look really rugged and cool, so i decided to use it. it kinda looks like this:**

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